Why Microsoft’s next Xbox should just run Windows already

Yesterday, Microsoft confirmed that it's not abandoning the home console market just yet. In a short video teaser, Xbox President Sarah Bond highlighted a "strategic multi-year partnership with AMD" that will include "our next-generation Xbox consoles in your living room and in your hands." But while we know that the "in your hands" part will include devices like the Windows-powered ROG Xbox Ally, there are still few specifics about what exactly Microsoft has planned for its future living room consoles (aside from what Bond calls "the next generation of graphics innovation").

Reading between the lines a bit, though, we wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft was getting ready to finally tear down the thinning wall separating gaming PCs and gaming consoles. A Windows-based, living room-focused Xbox capable of running generic Windows games could accentuate Microsoft's strengths in PC gaming while papering over many of the company's recent ...